Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel urged the American people to offer their support for the people of Haiti in the wake of the massive earthquake which struck the island nation yesterday, leveling a substantial amount of the country and leaving thousands of people injured or dead.

“The people of Haiti have been through so much in their history, whether it is a succession of terrible hurricanes, extreme political upheaval or decades of widespread poverty, and now a massive earthquake. The Haitian people are strong and resilient, but they need help from their neighbor to the north and from the international community as a whole. I urge everyone with means to lend whatever support they can offer both to the Haitian people as they dig out from the rubble, and to their friends and family here in America. Together we can help our Haitian friends and do whatever possible to help them recover,” said Rep. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

Americans are encouraged to donate money to reputable organizations, rather than to donate supplies. This will enable relief efforts to flow in an orderly fashion during this critical period of recovery. The American Red Cross is leading recovery efforts and donations can be made on their website - https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?4306.donation=form1&idb;=271383995&df;_id=4306&JServSessionIdr004;=o5sb5mmuo1.app195a

In addition, President Obama announced that anyone who wishes to donate $10 via their cell phone (the donation will be added to the next cell phone bill), they can text “Haiti” to #90999. Families looking for information on their loved ones can call the State Department at 1-888-407-4747.

Rep. Engel expressed his concerns for the thousands of Haitian-Americans living in his district as they seek information about their loved ones and their homeland. “I encourage anyone seeking help to contact my Rockland County office at 845-735-1000. I have also been working with Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee regarding local outreach, our offices are here to help. The entire region is working hard to help the Haitian people and our friends and neighbors with ties to the island. Together we can work through this tragedy,” added Rep. Engel.

To view his remarks –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kywTNRg5jjQ

A full text of his remarks follows:

Thank you Madame Speaker:

The devastating earthquake which hit Haiti last night is something that pains all of us. The millions of Haitian-Americans living in this country, and the people who care about Haiti all over the world, need to see what we can do to get aid as quickly as possible to the beleaguered people of Haiti.

The earthquake was 7.0 on the Richter scale, the largest earthquake to ever hit Haiti, and this comes on top of catastrophic hurricanes a little more than a year ago. The people of Haiti are going to need the United States to help. As Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, I will leave no stone unturned to try and get aid to the people of Haiti, and I know that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have already made statements and promised to pledge as much aid as possible.

Probably thousands upon thousands of people have been devastated or killed, and this tragedy is going to touch all of us. I call on this House, I call on the American people, and I call on our government to do whatever we can to send aid and help the people of Haiti.

I urge the American people to send donations to those reputable organizations who can get aid in as quickly as possible. Monetary donations are probably most needed right now. Only the United States is in a very unique position to help, and we must tell the Haitian people that the United States of America, and the United States Congress are standing with them. The next 72 hours are crucial in saving lives, in preventing epidemics, in keeping food supplies flowing, keeping water clean and making sure there are no looting outbreaks.

We need to do everything we can, I know we will. Our committee will be right there with our sleeves rolled up to do whatever we can to help the people of Haiti.